English Translators and Their Project in the Reign
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ENGLISH TRANSLATORS AND THEIR PROJECT IN THE REIGN OF QUEEN ELIZABETH 1 - By ERIK JENSEN B.A., The University of British Columbia, 1986 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES (Department of History) We accept this thesis as conforming to the required standard THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA October 1989 Erik Jensen, 1989 s In presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of British Columbia, I agree that the Library shall make it freely available for reference and study. I further agree that permission for extensive copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the head of my department or by his or her representatives. It is understood that copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Department The University of British Columbia Vancouver, Canada DE-6 (2/88) ABSTRACT The subject of this study is the translation into English of French Protestant works on religion in the last three decades of the sixteenth century. The study focuses on the translators and the religious impulse underlying their translation work. This translation project represents one aspect of a large and varied translation industry at work in England in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. There are several reasons for this study's particular focus. First, religious works constitute the single largest category of works in translation. Second, the largest number of such translations appear in the late sixteenth century, and of these, French Protestant works predominate. Third, the unique nature of the translators' prefatory epistles (the dedicatory epistles and 'Prefaces to the Reader*) in this period allow for a close examination of the motivational drive behind such activity. These epistles are distinct from the more conventional prefatory epistles of the earlier sixteenth century and (to an even greater extent) those of the early seventeenth century. The prefatory epistles, therefore, constitute the primary source material for this study; the paper's methodolgy involves a close examination of these epistles. The study shows that the translators share a common religious program. This program involves the "englishing" of foreign religious works in order to provide religious -ii- instruction for the common people. The paper explores both the translators' strong commitment to this project and their common concerns regarding the state of religion in England—concerns that are used by the translators as a justification for their translation work. Finally, the paper places this activity in the broader context of late sixteenth century English Protestantism. One finds that the translators' project ties in with more recent scholarship emphasizing the pastoral concerns of English Protestants in this period. -iii- TABLE OF CONTENTS: Abstract ii Table of Contents iv List of Tables v Preface 1 Chapter One: Introduction 5 Chapter Two: The Translators and their Commitment to Religious Instruction 19 Chapter Three: The Translators* Messages to the Reader 36 Chapter Four: Conclusion 63 Notes 69 Bibliography 74 Appendix A 76 Appendix B ' 81 Appendix C 89 -iv- LIST OF TABLES: TABLE ONE 7 TABLE TWO 8 TABLE THREE 9 TABLE FOUR 25 -V- PREFACE In the year 1580, John Field, an English minister, complained bitterly about the state of religion in England. He stated "that Sathan the father of lies, and aduersary of Gods euerlasting trueth, bestirred himselfe neuer more busily." "[T]here neuer liued more vnthankful wretches in the worlde than wee", Field also claimed. [T]hese many gratious years of peace... should haue drawen vs forward and aduanced vs in the schole of God", yet, Field asserted, wee are farre worse than we were in the beginning...duller, farther of[f] from knowledge, and more ignorant, then little children. Consequently, Field warned: Let the world...in that same godles contempt of God and his diuine iudgement, see what fel vpon their predecessors the wicked, that liued in Sodom and Gomorrhe.1. These passages, which might well have been taken from a sermon, are actually drawn from an Epistle Dedicatory for an English translation Field made of a work by Theodore Beza. The concerns articulated by Field, specifically, his bleak assessment of the state of religion in England, and his use of an Epistle Dedicatory as a platform for expressing such views is typical of a group of translators committed to the "englishing" of French Protestant works on religion in the last three decades of the sixteenth century. This study involves a close examination of these translators' prefatory epistles (i.e. dedicatory epistles and, to a lesser extent, -1- 'Prefaces to the Reader') in order to understand the religious impulse behind their translation activity. Aside from a few studies, the large and varied translation industry operating in England in the sixteenth and early seventeeth centuries has been given limited attention by historians. Among the studies undertaken in this area is a work entitled: John Florio, the life of an Italian in Shakespeare's England, by Francis A. Yates. Florio is best known as the translator of Montaigne's Essays. Yate's study, however, rather than concentrating on Florio's translation work, attempts a "reconstruction" (Yate's term) of Florio's life. Two other studies focussing exclusively on the subject of translation are Renaissance Translations of Erasmus. A bibliography to 1700, by E.J. Devereux, and The First English Translators of the Classics, by C.H. Conley. The latter is nearest in approach to the present study: both take as their subjects a group of translators responsible for the translating of a particular type of work. One type of translation activity occurring in this period that has been given fairly extensive analysis involves the translation of the Bible into English. Such studies include: English Biblical Translations, by A. C. Partridge, Principles and Problems of Biblical Translation'. Some Reformation Controversies and their Background, by W. Shwarz, The Making of the English Bible, by G. Hammond, The English Bible. A History of Translations, by F.F. Bruce, The King James Bible Translators, by Olga S. Opfell, and Translating for King -2- James, by John Bois (translated and edited by Ward Allen). The interest in Biblical translation is due to its involvement in Reformation and post-Reformation religious controversies, in particular, debate over rival interpretations of Scripture and disagreement over the place of vernacular translations within the Christian community. This paper can be distinguished from other studies in two respects. First, the study employs a different methodology, utilizing, more or less exclusively, the prefatory epistles to explain the motivational drive behind the translations. Second, this study concerns a translation project that has been, until now, ignored as a subject for systematic investigation. As this research explores more or less unchartered territory, it is important at the outset to indicate the broader context or framework for this type of translation work. Chapter One provides such an introduction. It also explains the methodolgy employed in this paper. Overall, the chapter explains the study's focus. The next two chapters deal with the religious impulse behind this type of translation work. Chapter Two outlines the translators* commitment to a commonly shared religious program. Chapter Three explores the translators' messages for their prospective readers, as conveyed in the prefatory epistles to the translations. Such messages reveal the concerns underlying and driving the translators' religious program. -3- Finally, the concluding chapter considers this translation activity in the broader context of late sixteenth century English Protestantism. It will be evident that this translation activity is closely related to some of the religious issues permeating English society at the time, and provides insight into aspects of English religious sentiment in this period. In regard to the use of footnotes, -page references will only be given for larger prefatory epistles (over five pages). Unless otherwise indicated, these footnotes refer to the translators' epistle dedicatories (some translations have both epistle dedicatories and 'Prefaces to the Reader'). -4- CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION There was a significant translation industry operating in England in the sixteenth century and early seventeenth centuries. This is evident from a close examination of the Short-Title Catalogue of English Books... 1475-1640, which has been used extensively in determining the context and parameters of this research. For the years between 1520 and 1640, taking into account only French works in English translation, there are over 650 entries listed in the Short-Title Catalogue. It should be pointed out that this figure is conservative, as it is difficult to determine the nationality of the many anonymous works translated from Latin. In addition to French works, there are numerous English translations of other foreign works from Latin, Dutch, Italian, German, and other languages, as well as translations from Latin of English writers. This list of over 650 French works represents writings on a broad range of topics: political and military theory, medicine and diseases, surgery and anatomy, history, philosophy, the occult, prognostications, "wonders" of the world, travelogues (including accounts of recent discoveries in the New World), literature (chivalric tales, poetry, drama), instruction in foreign languages, guides to good manners and social graces, guides to courtly conduct, and in -5- fewer numbers, books on music, art, fireworks, gardens, silk-worms, marriage, and husbandry. Aside from these, two broad categories of works in English translation predominate: works dealing with political and military events, and works dealing with religious matters. It should be pointed out that the translation activity examined in this paper coincides with the Wars of Religion in France. Such conflict and upheaval furnished the impetus for many of the works written at this time.